Bradford Park Avenue will have to be at their very best on Saturday as they host second-placed Boston United in a testing Skrill North clash.

Avenue and Boston have been rivals for some time, the Lincolnshire outfit beating Bradford into the Conference League set-up by two years.

Boston were victors when the clubs went head to head in the play-off final at Horsfall Stadium back in 2010 and that defeat will still be lodged in the memory of manager John Deacey and the majority of his squad.

However, the Bradford outfit followed Boston by winning promotion via the same route two years later at the expense of FC United of Manchester.

This is the second season that the two former Football League clubs have been Conference North rivals.

A glut of cup ties in recent weeks has led to a congested fixture list which has stretched Avenue’s resources.

A threadbare squad was named for last Monday’s FA Trophy replay at home to league rivals Harrogate Town, which saw the Horsfall side triumph 4-0 as James Knowles claimed a hat-trick.

The match came just two days after the first tie between the teams. Deacey is glad his players have had since Monday to recover as a number of them were struggling with knocks.

Skipper Nathan Hotte needed rest for his pulled hamstring while Jamie Price and Adam Clayton both missed out through injury.

Avenue were struggling for numbers to the extent that the original tie saw Tom Corner and Jason St Juste as the only genuine options on the bench. The other substitutes were assistant manager Mark Hume and goalkeeping coach Dermott McMurray.

Added to the absentees was the versatile Richard Marshall, who has one more fixture to serve of a three-match ban.

Boston are only one point behind leaders Hednesford Town but have played three games more, while eighth-placed Avenue are one of three clubs on 21 points.